Little Almond Eyes
by Brin
Summary: Three months after the escape, Brin has found her way to a small town outside Los Angeles called Kingsburro pop: 5,000. This is the story of her postescape life up until we first meet her in Cold Comfort.
1. Land of Milk and Honey

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters that appear in the hit syndicated TV show Dark Angel, owned and created by James Cameron. I do, however, own the original characters that appear in this story. Please do not use them without my permission.

A/N: FF.net is down and I'm bored as heck. Started reading a few little fics, and decided there wasn't enough in there about my one of my favorite characters, Brin (hence the pen name). I tried to find those upside-down question marks for the Spanish, but failed…

Summary: It's June, 2010, and a mysterious orphan has arrived has arrived in the small town near Los Angeles called Kingsburro (population 5,000). Her name is Brin and this is her story. Chapter 1 takes place before the Pulse.

**Little Almond Eyes**

_Pocos Ojos De la Almendra_

By

**Brin**

"Do or do not. There is no 'try.'"-Silent Bob,_ "Chasing Amy"_

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Chapter 1: Land of Milk and Honey

_Kingsburro, California, 2010_

"iOy! iCarlos mire a pequeña muchacha de ojos rasgados!" _Hey! Carlos! Look at the little almond-eyed girl! _said Alex Lopez as he and his brother watched a young Asian girl walk into the marketplace alone, her eyes darting around nervously.

"Ella es muy bonita," _She is very pretty_," said Carlos in reply. "Me pregunto de donde ella está." _I wonder where she is from._

Alex cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled, "iOy! Pocos Ojos De la Almendra venido aquí."  _Hey! Little Almond Eyes, come here._

The young girl looked over at them and pointed at herself.

"Si. No le lastimaremos." _Yes._ _We won't hurt you._

She seemed very reluctant to approach them, but the young girl finally walked over to their cart, which was full of fruits, vegetables, and baked items.

"Ella es demasiado flaca. Debemos alimentarla," _She is too skinny. We should feed her. _commented Carlos with a frown.

Alex picked up an apple and tossed it to the young girl. "Aquí. Coma esto y siéntese con nosotros para un rato. Cuál es su nombre?" _Here. Eat this and sit with us for awhile. What is your name?_

"Usted la piensa habla español?" _Do you think she speaks Spanish?_ asked Carlos as the girl took a seat behind the cart with them, staring at the apple with predatory eyes.

"Hablo español. Usted habla inglés?" _I speak Spanish. Do you speak English?_ asked the girl before taking a bite into the apple.

"Ah, touché my little friend," said Carlos, laughing. "So tell us, Little Almond Eyes, what is your name?"

"My name is Brin," she replied, taking another slow bite of her ripe apple as if it were to be her only food for the next week… maybe it was. "And who are you?"

"My name is Carlos Juan Henry Rodriguez Lopez, and this is my brother, Alex Jorge Rodriguez Lopez," said Carlos. He handed Brin a poppy seed muffin, laughing out loud as her eyes widened in shock at being offered _more_ food. "Eat up. We have plenty. And if we run out… we'll just take it out of Alex's rations."

Brin's eyes got even wider and she shook her head, refusing the muffin. "If you have to take it out of his rations…"

"No, no, I was just kidding, Pocos Ojos De la Almendra." _Little Almond Eyes._ "Here, I want you to eat the whole thing. Go on," urged the young man with a smile.

Nervously, Brin accepted the muffin and took a large bite out of it.

"Where is are your parents?" asked Alex, who appeared to be only a few years older than Brin.

"I don't have parents," replied the girl blankly.

Carlos raised his eyebrows. "Are you staying with anyone?"

Brin looked at him. Her big, almond-shaped eyes held life experience that seemed to age her beyond her years. "No. I drift."

"What? No family?!" blurted Alex, shocked.

Carlos narrowed his eyes at his little brother. "Be kind, Alex." He turned to Brin. "So you're an orphan?"'

With one last big bite, Brin downed the rest of the muffin. "Sort of."

"How long has it been since you've eaten anything?" asked Carlos, rummaging through the cart.

"About four days," said Brin, but she shook her head when he offered her an orange. "No, I don't want to take your rations."

"Oh come on, we've got plenty to go 'round, _Pocos Ojos De la Almendra_," urged Carlos with a gentle smile. "Okay, how about Alex walks you home and Nana will cook you something good?"

"I can't stay here," protested Brin. "It's not safe. Zack said not to stay in one place."

"Zack? Who's Zack?" asked Alex.

"He… he was a friend." Brin suddenly looked very nervous and she began glancing around the marketplace as if expecting someone to attack her.

"Well, where is he now?"

"Um, gone. He left me…"

"He left you alone? That's not a very good friend, if you ask me!" exclaimed Carlos. He patted the young girl on the back with a large hand. "Do not worry, little one. The Lopez family will take care of you."

Brin opened her mouth to protest, but stopped herself and sighed. Zack wasn't here… and she really did need a place to stay. "Okay," she said quietly.

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Alex led Brin about three klicks outside the main part of Kingsburro to a large farm with a huge mansion for a farmhouse. Brin had never seen a house so big-it was even bigger than the barracks back at Manticore.

"How many people live here?" she asked Alex in awe.

"There's me, my two brothers, my sister, my mama, my papa, Nana, A_buelo_ and _Abuelita_, the farmhands, and the housekeepers," replied the boy with a shrug.

Brin was struck speechless as they entered the lavish house that was decorated with all sorts of beautiful and interesting things-from the huge tapestry hanging in the entry hall to the giant fish tank that made up at least half of an entire wall. Brin gasped in surprise as a shark bumped against the glass, staring at her with primal eyes. She checked to make sure Alex wasn't looking and then made a face at the shark. It bumped the glass again, then swam away.

"iHogar agradable mi hijo!" _Welcome home my son!_ cried a beautiful Spanish woman as she entered the living room.

She was a tall, proud woman with well-defined features and shining jet black hair with a few gray streaks pulled back into a French braid that was tight against her neck. Her flowing dress was red with black roses and her silver heels clacked against the wood floor as she walked.

"Hello, Mama," replied Alex, wincing slightly as she embraced him in a warm hug. "Mama, I would like to introduce you to Brin. She's an orphan, but Carlos says she can stay with us for awhile."

The Spanish woman turned and looked startled to see Brin staring at her.

Brin fidgeted uncomfortably under the woman's gaze. She knew she wasn't much of a sight to see compared to Mrs. Lopez's elegant beauty. It had been awhile since she had been able to wash her hair, and it was still considerably shorter than most girls' from the Manticore buzz. She was too small for her age, causing her to appear to only be six or seven and extremely skinny from lack of food. Earlier that day she had been victim of a passing motorist going through a puddle-splashing mud all over poor, unsuspecting Brin. Her clothes, just a gray shirt and jeans, were oversized and had several large holes in them from traveling through wooded areas. She had no shoes and her feet were bloody and bruised from hundreds of miles of running through dense wilderness. In fact, most of her body was in the same state as her feet—bloody and bruised.

"You poor thing!" exclaimed Mama Lopez with a sympathetic look. "Alex, fetch this poor girl something to eat! She's nothing but a bag of bones! Nana! Nana!"

An elderly woman emerged from a large doorway leading to what Brin believed was the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron. She was a rather heavyset, short woman with dazzling green eyes and a gentle smile. "Yes, Mrs. Lopez?"

Mama gestured to Brin. "Will you ask the housekeepers to prepare this girl a room with a bathroom? Brin will be staying with us for as long as she likes. And, if possible, ask someone to bring Pilar's boxes of old clothes from the attic."

"Yes, Mrs. Lopez," replied Nana, giving Brin a smile.

Brin shifted from foot to foot nervously as she was left alone with Mama Lopez. "What do I refer to you as, ma'am?"

"Just call me Mama," replied the woman, her voice clear and musical.

Alex came back into the room holding a tray of cheese, milk, bread, and grapes. "I got some food, Mama."

Mama Lopez smiled. "Thank you, Alex. Would you keep Brin company while her room is prepared? I need to make a phone call."

"Yes, Mama," replied Alex. "You can sit down, if you want."

Brin stared at the white leather couches for a few minutes before deciding to plop down on the loveseat. She accepted the tray of food from Alex and nibbled on the cheese.

"So you're really an orphan?"

Brin looked up at Alex and narrowed her eyes. "I have no parents, if that's what you're asking."

"How did they die? Or did they abandon you?"

"I don't think that's any of your business," growled Brin, putting the food down.

Alex shrugged. "Whatever."

They stood in nervous silence for a few minutes before activity could be heard in the entry way. Soon, a group of rowdy, shouting teens came into the living room. The last of them were two boys that were older versions of Alex.

"Hey, Alex! What do we have here?" asked one of them, approaching Brin. "A little girlfriend of yours?"

"Lay off, Hernando!" growled Alex, stepping in-between the two.

Brin stared at the back of Alex's head in wonderment. No one outside her unit had ever tried to protect her before…

"Ooh, wittle Awex is trying to protect his wittle girlfriend," cackled Hernando's twin.

Alex glared at them. "Hernando, Luis, just lay off. She's staying with us."

Hernando and Luis looked over Alex' shoulder at Brin, who was glaring at them with fiery eyes. They laughed. "Well… more time for us to make fun of you," said Luis, ruffling Alex's hair. "Let's go, you guys. We'll have our fun with them later." And with that, they swaggered off with their rather scary-looking friends.

Alex turned to Brin and grinned. "Don't worry about tem. They're just a lot of talk."

Brin nodded and returned a small, almost non-existent smile. "It's okay. I can take care of myself."

"Obviously," replied Alex. "How long have you been on your own?"

"Three or four months."

"Wow. Who were you staying with before?"

"I was at an orphanage... but it... closed down."

Alex patted her on the shoulder sympathetically. "That's too bad... But you're with us now. Don't worry, _Pocos Ojos De la Almendra_, we Lopez's will take care of you."

"Thank you," said Brin quietly. She hugged herself and turned back to the fish tank. As she did this, a strange sense of vertigo overcame her and the room began to spin. "Um... Alex, I think I'm going to..."

Alex jumped forward to catch Brin as her eyes rolled back in her head and she collapsed, limp like a rag doll and out cold. "Mama! Brin fainted!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I think she's waking up."

Brin opened her eyes and saw three blurry faces staring down at her. She licked her dry, chapped lips and whispered in a hoarse voice, "What... what happened?"

"You fainted from lack of food and sleep," said a deep, unrecognizable voice.

"Are you alright, _Pocos Ojos De la Almendra_?" asked Carlos worriedly. "This is Dr. Wilkinson. He's the family physician."

Brin bolted upright, narrowly avoiding bumping her head with the three people staring down at her. She began to panic and started sliding towards the edge of the bed. "What? I can't be in the hospital!" she cried.

"You're not in the hospital," said Mama Lopez, gently pushing her back down. "This is your bedroom."

"Oh..." Brin let out a sigh of relief and looked around the room curiously as her vision cleared once gain.

The room was absolutely beautiful. The walls were a warm yellow color and the drapes over the huge French-style window were white with a light green flower pattern. She was laying in a king-size canopy bed with white and green bedcovers to match the drapes. The bed frame was made of dark oak wood, as was the rest of the furniture in the room, which included a bureau, a body-length mirror, two nightstands, a small couch, a television and television stand, and a desk.

"Just keep her full and make sure she gets plenty of liquids for the next few days," instructed Dr. Wilkinson, who was an elderly African man with a bushy mustache and a pot belly.

"We will, doctor. Thank you for coming over," said Mama.

"No problem, Mrs. Lopez. And there's no charge—you saved me from mowing the lawn today," mused Dr. Wilkinson as he left the room.

As soon as the doctor was gone, Alex poked his head in the door. "Can I come in now?"

"Brin needs her rest. We'll just leave her alone for awhile," stated Mama, kissing Brin on the forehead. "You can take a bath when you feel like it, okay? We've got clothes for you in the bureau. Dinner will be ready at 7 o'clock. You really should join us to get acquainted with the family. See you then."

"Don't worry, _Pocos Ojos De la Almendra,_ you'll learn to love us Lopez's," said Carlos, also giving her a kiss on the forehead. "See you at dinner."

And then, Brin was alone. She pulled the covers off and noticed someone had changed her into pajamas. She sat up again and rubbed her grime-covered arms. "I need a bath," she declared to herself, hopping off the bed and heading towards one of the three doors in the room. The one to the left of the bed was the one Mama and Carlos had exited through, so she tried the other two. The first door she tried led to a huge, empty walk-in closet. The other revealed a good-sized, nearly totally marble bathroom with hot tub, shower, two sinks, and giant mirror. Even the toilet had its own room.

Brin pulled off her clothes and opted to use the shower, since baths reminded her of the water chambers back at Manticore where they were tested on how long they could hold their breaths. She was especially weak in that area since she was so tiny, which meant her lungs were considerably smaller than the others'. Though after awhile she learned that if she remained very, very still and didn't even open her eyes she could stay under as long as she needed to. Tinga was always the best at holding her breath. When they had done their required time and were allowed to surface, Tinga would always show off by staying under for an extra five or ten minutes while Brin struggled to the surface and gasped for air by the time it was over. The only one who could even come close to Tinga was Zack, because he was good at everything. Eva suspected Zack never beat Tinga on purpose; he was never really a big show-off.

Irritably shaking these thoughts from her mind, the girl stepped in the surprisingly clean shower and was faced with a very frustrating problem—she had no idea how to turn it on. Back at Manticore, their showers had been timed; turned on and off by a control center. Here in front of here were two knobs—one labeled H and one labeled C.

She leaned against the wall as she pieced things together, severely embarrassed at her situation. Knobs were made to be turned, right? H and C had to stand for something. Hydrogen and Chlorine? She highly doubted it.

Finally, the young girl gave up and just turned the knob labeled "H". Immediately, warm water flowed out of the showerhead and flowed over her skin. Brin was momentarily startled. She had never had a warm shower before! Her enjoyment, however, didn't last long, since the water started getting hotter and hotter. She shrieked in surprise quickly jumped against the wall to escape the nearly-scorching heat.

By now, however, she had figured out that "H" meant either "heat" or "hot" so she decided that "C" must've stood for "cold." She turned the other knob and waited a few seconds before feeling the water again. It was pleasantly warm now. Her assumptions had been correct. She stepped back underneath the water. A sigh of escaped her lips before she could stop it. This place was heaven. She had had more food in one day than she usually got in a week. There was a roof over her head and kind people around her.

Yet... Zack had warned against emotional attachments. If they got too attached to one place or people, they wouldn't be able to leave when the time came. They would become slow and get caught, he had said. Or Lydecker would kill their attachments and cause them to act irrationally; against their soldier judgment.

How could she convince him to let her stay? Would he even listen to her? Would he even find her? This was the Good Place that Ben talked about when they couldn't sleep. Where no one gets punished and no one disappears. On another note, there was no one _around_ to get punished or disappear. The others had scattered all over the east coast.

During the escape she had been paired with Ben, yet Zack had advised them to split up when they were a safe distance from Manticore. She hadn't seen any of the others since just after the escape. They had gathered briefly when they were a little less than a hundred miles away from Manticore. Jondy had reported Max had fallen under the ice and she had been unable to help her. But Max was strong and clever; she'd most likely survive. No one knew what happened to Zack. But a week after the escape, he had grabbed her and Ben in a dark ally, advising them to split up since Lydecker was hot on their tails. They had taken his advice without question; he was, after all, their CO.

She grabbed the soap from the niche in the wall and rigorously started cleaning the three months of dirt and grime from her body. After that she washed her short, jet-black hair with sweet-smelling shampoo. Back at Manticore they had only been allowed to use shampoo once a week since their hair was so short. That shampoo had had no smell and was plain white. This shampoo was a warm honey color and smelled of fruits and flowers. Her hair wasn't quite long enough to cover her barcode, but Zack had given her some makeup to hide it.

Then, she realized something very, very bad. The makeup was in her other outfit… and she was taking a shower. She quickly washed the shampoo from her hair, wrapped a towel around herself, and ran into the bedroom in search of her clothes. By a sheer stroke of luck, her old outfit had been set on the edge on the couch to be picked up later. She quickly pulled her only belongings—some makeup, a few coins, and a small comb—from the jean pocket with a sigh of relief. She dumped the coins onto the nightstand then took the makeup and comb into the bathroom. With another sigh of relief she applied the makeup to her barcode and combed her quickly-drying hair. When she was done she wandered over to the bureau and opened the drawers. They were each filled with a different clothing item—socks, shirts, shorts, pants, etc. Opting for nothing too fancy, Brin pulled on pair of gray socks, blue jeans, and a red t-shirt. It felt extremely good to be clean, clothed, and fed. On top of that, there was _another_ meal to come. There was no way she would let Zack take her away from this place.


	2. Pulsating

Disclaimer: See Part 1

A/N: Love reviews. Love those who review. ^_^ Why do I continue this story despite my need to finish The Siege? Brin's the best, that's why! :-D

Summary: Zack stops by to check on Brin, but she refuses to leave her newfound home and gets acquainted with the Lopez family. The Pulse occurs.

**Little Almond Eyes** _Pocos Ojos De la Almendra_

By

**Brin**

"The only thing worse than not getting what you want in life, is getting it." –Oscar Wilde

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Chapter 2: Pulsating

The rest of Brin's afternoon was spent marveling at the television. It had 257 channels _and_ a remote control! Back at Manticore, their televisions had shown nothing but police videos and what Ben called 'brainwashing material.' Of course, it had taken her awhile to figure out how to turn the darn thing on with all the little buttons and switches, but she handled it a little better than the shower.

When she finally turned it on by pressing the green button at the top of the remote, she was quite amazed to see little figures jumping around the screen dropping anvil's on each other's heads. So surprised, in fact, that she dropped the remote and jumped to her feet in alarm. However, she soon realized her foolishness so she sat down and regained her composure. After awhile, Brin decided these things must 'cartoons' since the channel was apparently called 'Cartoon Network.' Some of these 'cartoons' were quite funny, and she was content to watch them.

The clock on the nightstand said 6:30 PM when Brin heard tapping on her window. She pulled herself out of the grips of the overstuffed couch and pushed the drapes aside, nearly screaming in surprise when she saw Zack's stern, chiseled face right outside the window.

"Open the window," he instructed, his voice deep and full of authority.

Brin quickly opened the window, marveling at how he had climbed three stories up to her window unseen… on that note, how did he know she was here? "How did you find me?" she asked, hugging him.

Zack stiffly hugged her back and replied, "That's no concern of yours. What are you doing here? This is obviously a high-profile family, and I told you to lay low."

She took briefly looked him over, momentarily ignoring his comments. His sandy hair was long enough to droop down into his blue-green eyes now. Back at Manticore, he had always gotten the most haircuts because his hair grew very, very fast. He had grown a bit taller and currently towered at least a foot and a few inches above his sister. His clothes—a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and a hoody—were just as torn and tattered as hers had been before she had received her new clothes from the Lopez's. She felt sorry for her big brother and his situation. He could never relax; it was genetically encoded into his DNA to be a paranoid person. That's what made him such a brilliant strategist.

"But they're very nice, Zack," protested Brin, coming out of her reverie when she noticed that he was waiting for a response from her. "They fed me and gave me clothes and I had a hot shower! This is just like the Good Place Ben talks about. You would love it here."

"It may seem nice, but what happens when Lydecker rolls into town and finds you here? Will you be able to leave?" asked her CO seriously. "You can't stay in one place for too long."

"I know my duty, Zack. If you tell me that Lydecker knows I'm here, I'll leave. I swear as a soldier. Okay?" reasoned the young girl, her almond eyes full of hope. "I will be safer here than on the streets, Zack. Please, just let me stay. You know I can't handle it out there like you guys."

Zack stared at her for a long, long time, his face a thoughtful scowl, before saying, "Okay, but when I tell you to evacuate the premises, you will do as I say without question. Understand?"

"Understood, sir," said Brin. She gave him another big hug. "You're the best, big brother."

"I've got to go now. But I will be watching," he said. Then, as soon as he had come, he was gone again out the window again.

Brin hurried over to the window and looked for him, but he was nowhere to be found. It was just like Zack to do that. He always took being CO very, very seriously. That's why he was their CO, after all. She sighed sadly and closed the window.

She knew that the only reason he had let her stay was because, out of all the X5s, she was the smallest and most fragile. The only reason she was older than Max was because she had been born three and a half months premature. She had barely survived through her first year, suffering from a distant form of pulmonary tuberculosis due to a genetic malfunction. She never won in sparring matches, but had a knack for escape and evade since, when needed, she could squeeze into tight spaces her brother Zack could only dream about.

Once, Zack had broken her arm during a practice fight because her bones were almost as brittle as a human's. He had never forgiven himself for it. Lydecker had ordered she be given extra calcium pills. On top of that, she was given a bone transplant from Jondy. It was painful, but worked well and her bone strength shot up to a normal X5 level.

Another time, she had come down with the flu. None of the other X5s got the flu. She had nearly died from it since her body produced antibodies slower than even a human's. After that, she had had to spend a few months in genetic rehab where they filled her immune system with fast-reacting antibodies that were able to mutate to fight new and old strands of diseases. That's how life was for her at Manticore—always one step ahead of dying, yet always one step behind the others under the disappointed gaze of Lydecker.

She shook her head free of these thoughts and sat down on the couch to resume her cartoon-watching. When 6:55 finally rolled around, Brin set off in search of the kitchen. She assumed it was on the first floor, so her first goal was to find the stairs. It didn't take her very long, since the stairs were two doors down from her room. She descended to the first floor and was surprised to find a man dressed in a tuxedo standing there, smiling at her.

"Lady Brin, welcome. Dinner is just about ready; the family is waiting for you," said the man, gesturing to the large, open doorway where Brin could see the Lopez family sitting around a long table.

When Brin walked into the room and they all turned around to look at her. She recognized Alex, Luis, Hernando, Carlos, and Mama, but there was also a teenage girl, a middle-aged man, and an elderly couple present.

"Brin! We were just talking about you! Please, have a seat," said Mama, gesturing to the empty chair next to Alex.

Brin sat and stared down at her hands where they rested in her lap. She really didn't like being stared at. Lydcecker never allowed the guards to stare at 'his kids' for fear one of them would beat the guards to death. When she was on her own, she could avoid being seen if she wanted to. Right now there was no escape and the young girl felt like going back to her room and hiding underneath the covers of her bed.

Alex, sensing the girl's discomfort at being scrutinized by the Lopez family, reached underneath the table and touched her leg. "Brin, let me introduce you to everyone," he said, glancing at Mama for permission. When she nodded Alex continued, "This is my sister Lisa. She's going to college soon."

Lisa was about eighteen years old and a younger version of her mother. The only differences between the two were her hair was streaked red instead of gray, her eyes were green instead of brown, and she was a little bit shorter than Mama Lopez. She smiled at Brin with genuine friendliness and they nodded their hello's.

"Then there's Abuelo and Abuelita. They live with us during the summer, but they have a home in New Orleans and will be going home soon," continued Alex, gesturing to the elderly couple at the end of the table.

Abuelo and Abuelita were gray-haired and frail, but their hazel eyes were full of life. Abuelo was paunchy and his hair was almost white. Abuelita, on the other hand, was slender and still had a few locks of black hair mixed in with the gray, pulled back into a neat bun.

"Welcome to the Lopez family, little one," said Abuelita warmly.

"Thank you," replied Brin quietly. This was another thing she wasn't used to—manners. Sure, back at Manticore they had been taught manners—but that was only training for outside missions. She had never really _used_ them before with anyone besides her brothers and sisters.

"And this is my Papa. He takes care of us," continued Alex, gesturing to the middle-aged man sitting next to Mama.

Papa, like Mama, was a very dignified and proud person. He sat straight as a board with his forearms resting against the edge of the table. His hair held a little more gray than Mama's did and his face had a few more wrinkles. It was obvious that the Lopez children had gotten their eyes from him, for his eyes were the lush green color of emeralds. There was a lot of knowledge and wisdom behind those green orbs.

"Just as Abuelita said, welcome to the Lopez family," said Papa, smiling underneath his bushy mustache.

Hernando and Luis made gagging sounds, breaking the moment.

"Man, a new girl comes into the house and suddenly we're the Brady Bunch. Next we'll move to mountains and start singing 'The Hills are Alive With the Sound of Music,'" said Luis disgustedly. "You guys are lame."

"Luis Maurice Fernando Rodriguez Lopez!" said Mama sternly. "You and your brother go up to your rooms! _iAhora!_" _Right now._

The twins shrugged and left the table, making sure to grab pastries from Nana as she came out of the kitchen.

"I'm sorry," apologized Papa. "Those two have been trouble-makers from the start. They aren't as bad as they seem."

"It's okay," said Brin with a shrug, her eyes suddenly fixing on the hot food being placed in front of them.

"This poor child hasn't eaten in days! Let's begin!" suggested Carlos, grinning.

They said grace and then dug into their meal, laughing and talking amongst themselves about anything from how good Brin looked when she smiled to the weather this summer. The appetizers were _bacalaitos_, crunchy cod fritters; _surullitos_, sweet plump cornmeal fingers; and _frijoles negros_, black-bean soup.

After that, the main dishes included a beef stew called _carne guisada puertorriqueña_ by the members of the Lopez family. It was flavored with things like onions, garlic, potatoes, and freshly-grown green peppers. There were also meat pies—salt pork or ham filling cooked in a _caldero_. _Arroz con pollo_, chicken with rice, was served somewhere in-between. Dessert was custard and _nisperos de batata_, sweet-potato balls with coconut, cloves and cinnamon.

By the time everyone had finished, Brin felt like a lioness who had just gorged herself and all she wanted to do was sleep. She had envisioned this as the perfect meal in her dreams. And now her dreams had come true—she had a family.  It would the first of many, many perfect meals.

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Later that night, Brin was changing into pajamas—a pair of boxers and one of Alex's oversized t-shirts. Alex was thirteen; only three years older than she, yet he was nearly a foot taller and looked old enough to drive. She admitted he was pretty good-looking for a human, with his father's emerald eyes and his mother's angular face. Carlos had to be at least twenty or somewhere around that age.

Brin sighed contentedly as she pulled the covers back and melted into the feather mattress. This was much better than Manticore's bunks or the cold, hard ground of some big city—her usual sleeping choice for the past three months. It was either that or keep moving.

Max and Jondy had never slept very much back at Manticore due to their shark DNA. Brin would try to stay up with them at night, but she was neither a nocturnal creature nor was she a morning person. No matter how early she woke up in the morning, Max and Jondy were awake first. Besides that, the rest of the day she would be groggy and miserable from her foolish attempts to be like Max and Jondy, Zack's favorites.

The wind against the window broke Brin out of her thoughts. She shook the memories from her head and was just about to turn off the lamp next to the bed when there was a gentle knock on her door. "Who is it?" she asked, getting under the covers.

"Alex."

"You can come in."

The door squeaked open just a tad and Alex's head poked into the room. "Mama asked me to check on you before I went to sleep. Are you all settled in? My room's next door if you need anything."

Brin nodded. "I'm fine."

Alex stepped inside the room and closed the door behind him. "Look, I don't know your story, but if you ever need to talk…"

"I will, Alex, thanks for worrying," interrupted the young girl, smiling. As he was turning to leave, Brin was overcome by curiosity and suddenly blurted, "So how does your family afford all this?"

Alex turned back around and walked over to the bed. "Well, we are a major supplier of fruits and vegetables in this area. Kingsburro doesn't have a Wal-Mart or anything like that, so we go into town and sell it ourselves. Los Angeles is a big factor, too. We get most of our money from selling to vendors and merchants there. Also, my papa is very active in the stock market and he's made some big bucks from that. But don't worry; we're not total rich snobs or anything like that."

"Never crossed my mind," said Brin, running her fingers through her hair. "Thanks. See you tomorrow."

"Okay. See ya, Brin," replied the young teen, exiting the room.

Brin yawned and turned off the bedside lamp. She then curled under the covers like a kitten and fell fast asleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning, Brin slept in a little longer than she should have, just because she could. When she finally did rise, she hopped downstairs to find the entire Lopez family sitting in the living room talking in hushed tones. They looked really worried and Papa was ghostly pale.

"What?" she asked nervously.

Carlos looked up. "The computers… they destroyed _all_ the computer systems… The Kingsburro newspaper bad to be printed by hand."

"Who?"

"Terrorists," said Mama, wiping tears from her eyes. "They released an electro-magnetic pulse eighty miles above the earth and wiped out all the computers."

"That's bad, right?" Brin suddenly felt very small.

"It is very, very bad… but we Lopez's will make it through," declared Mama. She beckoned the young girl closer. "We have enough savings to last a very long time and we already own the house, the land, and the equipment. We will help the community."

Carlos hugged Brin, also in tears. "This is a tragedy, _Pocos Ojos De la Almendra._ It is lucky that you are with us at this time, and not on the streets. There will be chaos and violence out there. People do not understand what has happened."

Brin stared at the saddened family. They had no clue that she could take out a full grown man on the streets with a single punch. Yet… she was happy to be here, with a family that cared so much. It was an odd stroke of luck for Alex and Carlos to call her over in the marketplace.

"We've got to go on with our life. Carlos and Lisa, go to the marketplace like always. Alex and Brin, you two stay here in case anything bad happens," instructed Papa. "I'm going to go see if the stock market is down. The Kingsburro Phone Stations have patched everything together overnight. Thank God we don't live in a large city."

"I want to come to the market!" protested Alex. "Brin and I shouldn't have to stay here."

"Alex, my son, it's dangerous. We don't know what's gonna happen," said Mama gently.

"No! I'm not staying here! This is history! I'm thirteen years old, Mama, I can take care of myself. In fact, I can take care of Brin, too."

Mama sighed, her face weary. "Alex…"

"I'm going, Mama," he interrupted, grabbing Brin's hand. "And I'm taking Brin, too."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When they got to the marketplace, things were a little…rowdy. The food carts were the most crowded; people seemed to think there was going to be a food shortage from the Pulse… and the more Brin thought about it, the more she realized that there _was _going to be a shortage since mainstream transportation had obviously halted.

Before they had even gotten the cart into its normal position in the marketplace, people were running over and holding out bills. Lisa collected the money and Carlos handed out the food, each of them surprised and disturbed by this show of panic and chaos.

All around the marketplace this was happening. People were buying entire cartloads of food, purchasing gallons and gallons of gasoline from the station, getting all their money from the banks—which, luckily, still filed its accounts on paper so nothing was lost, and things like that. People were doing insensible and crazy things to sum it up. They were bickering amongst themselves like wolves over petty things like apples and eggs. Others were purchasing huge locks for their houses and coal for heat in the winter. Some were even stocking up on clothes. It was pure madness.

Alex, still holding onto Brin's hand, quickly dragged her away from the confusion to an empty spot in an ally. "I don't know what's happening," said Alex worriedly. "It's like they don't know each other anymore."

"They've been thrust into a situation they don't understand. Everything will die down," reassured Brin, thinking of her first days out of Manticore and the confusion that she felt. "You'll see, Alex. Things won't be like they were before, but eventually people will stop acting like this."

"Yeah, you're right," replied the teen, surprised by Brin's wisdom. He put a protective arm over her shoulder. "Don't worry. These people are nice; they won't hurt us."

Brin nodded, trying to hide a frown as a strange feeling came over her. Having Alex's arm lazily laying on her shoulders was oddly… pleasant. She'd never felt this way before, not with any of her brothers—Jack, Krit, Zack, Zane… getting a hug from them never made her feel so good inside. She smiled up at Alex, who was nodding a 'hello' to some family friends. Yep, this was her place in the world. Right here.

TBC…

That was a disgustingly short chapter! But I ran out of things to say and I just thought it was a good ending point.


	3. Kabooey

Disclaimer: See Part 1

Summary: Brin spends her first July 4th outside Manticore and gets a visit from someone special.

A/N: Wow… It's been a long time since I updated this O.O

Little Almond Eyes 

_Pocos Ojos De la Almendra_

By

Brin 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 3: Kabooey 

"SPEAK SOLDIER!" shouted the inspection officer, having to bend down halfway to be eye-to eye with young 734. "State your designation!"

_734 gulped and said, "X5-734, Sir."_

_"LOUDER!"_

_"X5-734, SIR!" yelled 734, suddenly feeling very dizzy. She closed her eyes to avoid falling over._

_"EYES OPEN!"_

_734 snapped her eyes open, and the dizziness grew more intense. "Sir, Yes, Sir!"_

_"THIS is not acceptable. I will inform Colonel Lydecker and you WILL be punished!" And with that, he was gone, slamming the door behind him._

_The children were frozen with shock for a few minutes after he had left, but the silence was broken when 734 collapsed, unconscious._

_"Brin!" exclaimed Max, running over and shaking her sister. "Wake up. Wake up before they take you to the 'nomlies, Brin!"_

_Syl and Krit ran to the door to make sure no one was coming. Zack knelt next to Brin and felt her neck for a pulse. He almost smiled in relief when he felt it—almost. "She's alive."_

_They all looked up at Ben, their eyes begging for answers._

_Ben gulped and placed a hand on Brin's forehead, rousing her. "Her lungs aren't well. Remember when she was a baby and she had the coughing sickness, Zack?"_

_Zack nodded sternly. He and Ben were the only ones old enough to remember the days when the others had been brought in as babies. X5 memory stretched back as far as when they were two years old, but usually no further._

_"Am I gonna die?" asked Brin quietly._

_"It's the officer. He makes her sick," declared Ben gravely. "The colonel explained this to me in medic training when Brin was still a baby. Brin's lungs are too small because of a 'nomlie in her DNA and when she is too stressed her lungs don't work too well. Didn't he tell you that in medics, Tinga?"_

_Tinga nodded. "He said we should be careful with Brin."_

_"Brin's got a 'nomlie in her?" asked Syl, jaw dropping._

_"A small one," relied Ben. He pulled out the card of the Blue Lady. "But the Blue Lady will take care of Brin. Don't worry."_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_"iPocos Ojos De la Almendra!_ Could you come down here please?!"

Brin jolted awake, her dream—no, it was a memory—fading away into consciousness. She sat up and rubbed her hand down her face, her nap leaving her feeling groggy and disoriented.

A days ago Lisa had left for college despite the Pulse. She had gone early so she could get her own apartment and get settled in. She was going to UCLA in the fall. Abuelo and Abuelita had left as well, taking Carlos with them since he was going to grad school in Louisiana. That left just Alex, Brin, Mama, Papa, the members of the house staff, and the farmhands. The family lived in the east wing of the house whereas the workers lived on the west wing, so they were rarely seen besides when they were working. So, in the end, Brin had received Lisa's stereo, her CDs,  VCR, DVD player, and her stuffed animals.

She jumped out of bed, pulling on a pair of khakis and a large t-shirt. Then she ran down the stairs to find Mama and Papa sitting on the couch, waiting for her. "Yes?"

"We were just wanting to tell you that we're spending July 4th with some family friends. Is that alright with you?" said Mama.

Brin shrugged. "Yeah. Sure. What's so special about July 4th?"

Mama's eyes widened. "Are you serious, Brin?"

"Yes."

"You really don't know?"

"I really don't know what?"

Mama looked at Papa, who sighed and said, "Brin, July 4th is the anniversary of American independence. How long have you been living in America?"

Brin stared at him for a long time, trying to figure out how she should handle this. She could lie and tell them she had moved to the country not too long ago, but then how would she explain her excellent English _and_ her fluent Spanish? She didn't exactly look like she had come from a Spanish-speaking country, and most kids her age still barely knew proper English. After considering several scenarios, Brin found that telling the truth would be most productive.

"My orphanage never told us about it."

Well, it _was _pretty truthful. Manticore was _sort of_ an orphanage, but it didn't take children in… or let them out.

"Well that's appalling!" said Mama with a frown. "Everyone should know about July 4th. It's the day the country's first leaders signed the Declaration of Independence. We all go outside and shoot off fireworks in their honor."

Brin suddenly remembered learning about the Declaration of Independence a long, long time ago. It was what separated America from Great Britain. She nodded and said, "Oh. I see now."

Papa pulled a few twenties from his pocket and handed them to Brin. "Go get Alex and ask him to go with you down to the marketplace for fireworks. He'll know what to get. Okay?"

"Okay," replied Brin, pocketing the money and running off to find Alex.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Last year Hernando and Luis accidentally set themselves on fire with one of these," said Alex as he picked a box of sparklers off the shelf. "They were being stupid by holding it in their teeth. One of them slipped out from Luis' and caught his pants on fire. Hernando, always close by, tried to put it out with his sleeve and ended up catching on fire himself." He laughed and tossed the box into the basket Brin was holding.

"Did they get hurt?" she asked, eyeing the fireworks with some apprehensiveness.

"Nothing serious, and no one felt sorry for them," replied Alex, pulling a huge box of fireworks off the top shelf and tucking it under his arm. "Okay, we got everything."

"So… you guys actually shoot these things off?" asked Brin as she read the WARNING labels on the large box.

"Yeah. Why not?"

Brin shrugged and turned her eyes downward. Explosives. They had been taught at age six how to blow off a three-foot-thick steel door. At age eight, how to time grenades to blow up on a certain spot. On their last day of training something had gone wrong and Jace nearly blew her head off, literally. After that, training in the use of explosives was never even mentioned. The only X5s who liked blowing up things were Jondy, Ben, and Syl. Then again, those three never liked Jace more than they were obligated to.

In the middle of her reverie, Brin bumped into someone and fell back on her butt with a yelp of surprise.

"Hey, are you okay?" a crackly voice asked.

Brin looked up and froze. Dark blonde hair. Piercing emerald-green eyes. Oh, there was no mistaking those eyes.

_"Tell us a story, Ben."_

_"Only the best soldiers get to go to the Good Place," he explained with a small, dreamy smile. "The ones who fail… you know what happens to them."_

_"They disappear," Max answered._

_"To the Bad Place. Where they open you up and drink your blood until you're almost dead. Then they leave you there for the nomlies."_

_There was a resounding gasp from several of the X5s, even though they had heard this story many times before._

_"They crawl up from the basement through special tunnels. And when you're not looking... BAM!" More gasps. "They break through the wall and drag you away," Ben continued solemnly._

_"Well… what do the nomlies do to you?" asked Zack, who had always been most alarmed Ben's description of the Bad Place._

_"They keep you as prisoner of war and eat you up, little by little, forever."_

"Ben?" Brin's heart jumped into her throat.

The young man's eyes widened momentarily, but he didn't lose his composure the least bit. It was obvious to Brin that he was trying to remain cool in case this was a trap. "I'm sorry, have we met before?"

Alex, who was watching the exchange with intense curiosity, looked between the two suspiciously. He shifted closer to Brin, and she could practically smell the protectiveness as it came off him in waves.

Brin slowly got to her feet and poked the young man in the arm. He squirmed and jerked away. Yup, it was Ben alright. The only X5 to be ticklish on his bicep. "Ben!" She threw herself into his arms, nearly knocking them both over, and kissed his warm cheeks again and again.

"People are staring," Ben whispered in her ear, though his tone was joking and light.

"Let them stare. Maybe they think we're aliens!" Brin replied in a mocking whisper.

"Get off!" Ben shoved her away and stood, jokingly walking around her in a circle like a hawk around its prey. "So you've found me… what are you going to do now?"

Brin shook her head and kicked dust at him. "Shut up, Ben."

"Did I miss something?" Alex interrupted with a frown.

"Alex, this is Ben. He's…" She stared at him for a bit. "He was one of the kids at the orphanage with me."

"Hi," said Ben without showing much interest in Alex. Instead, he took Brin's arm and started leading her away, "If you'll excuse us for a minute…"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"What are you doing here?" Brin asked as Ben bought her an ice cream cone—double-scoop; chocolate and lime sherbet.

Ben got himself a double-scoop with vanilla and strawberry. "I was about to ask you the same thing. And who was that boy with you?" he queried nonchalantly.

"This is where Zack's letting me stay, so blah," replied the young girl, sticking out her tongue at him. "And 'that boy' is Alex Lopez. A friend, as a matter of fact." She poked him in the chest with every syllable of the last sentence to accentuate her words. "So now you tell me what you're doing here."

"Well, I was just passing through. I'm heading to New York, on the east coast. They say there are thousands of people there… more than you've ever seen in one place. And everything goes up. The buildings go past the clouds!" said Ben, his eyes full of excitement. "Zack says I can stay there because everyone else is staying on the west coast."

"That's far away," said Brin sadly. "Why do you want to go there?"

Ben shrugged. "It sounds like the kind of place I'd like to go. Remember, it has the Empire State Building? It's the tallest building in America… I could go up there and talk to the Lady whenever I wanted. The High Place. Maybe you could come visit me?"

"That would be so cool, Ben!" replied Brin excitedly. She took a large bite out of her ice cream, smearing it all over her face.

"Hey, I gotta go now… gotta keep moving," announced Ben, who had finished his cone. "I'll keep in touch, okay, Baby Sister?"

Brin nodded sadly. Would it always be like this? Seeing each other for fleeting moments at a time? She didn't know if it was bearable. To have her siblings dip in and out of her life like this was heart-wrenching. "Alright. Bye, Ben."

"Promise you won't forget me?" he asked cautiously, hugging her tightly.

"Yup." Brin held onto his hand as they broke the hug, wanting to stay with him as long as possible.

With a smile and a wink, Ben turned and walked away, soon disappearing within the folds of people in the Kingsburro marketplace. Brin sighed sadly when he went out of sight, then turned around and headed back to the place she and Alex had been buying fireworks like nothing had happened. _Get over it and move on,_ Zack would've said, and she did. She felt sort of bad for just blowing Alex off like that and it helped get her mind off Ben more quickly. In fact, the more she thought about, the worse she felt about Alex and the less she thought about Ben.

Alex was waiting for her, having already purchased the fireworks, with a sour look on his face.

"Hey, Alex, sorry for leaving like that," said Brin, giving him her best doe-eyed look. 

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Whatever. Let's go. We've got what we came for."

Brin's face dropped as she felt the anger in his voice. "Alex, I'm sorry… Ben is like a brother to me. I haven't seen him in months."

"It's fine," grumbled Alex, brushing past her.

Brin stuck her tongue out at his back and stomped after him, grumbling under her breath about stubborn boys.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That night, they traveled a few hours outside Kingsburro to a vineyard. It was larger than even the Lopez farm, with row after row of grapes, and a forest lay behind the great ranch house. They drove up to the house—almost twice as big as the Lopez house—and stopped outside the front door.

A middle-aged Spanish man came out and hugged Papa fiercely. "iRecepción, mi hermano!"_ Welcome, my brother!_ he said happily.

"Gracias por invitarnos," _Thank you for inviting us, _replied Papa with a smile.

"Hola, senora, es un placer verle otra vez," _Hello! It's a pleasure to see you again! _continued the man, also giving Mama a hug.

"iHola, Francis!" replied Mama with a huge smile. She gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Le veo haber traído a los niños," _I see you have brought the children,_ Francis added, winking at Alex, Luis, and Hernando. "Pero quién es éste?" _But who is this?_

"Pocos ojos de la almendra," _Little Almond Eyes_, said Mama, putting her hand on Brin's shoulder lovingly. "Brin."

"Hello, Brin. Welcome to the Lopez family!" said Uncle Francis, embracing her in a bear hug. "Come in, come in! The party's just begun!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The party, which was being held in the back yard, was so extravagantly decorated that it would take an extraordinary fireworks display to top it. There were colorful banners everywhere, hanging from trees and power lines and the roof of the house. The ground was covered with multi-colored bits of paper, giving the illusion of rainbow snow. Music blared from a large speakers in the trees. Colorful, bright lights shone down upon the party, and dancers dressed in extravagant outfits put on shows every few minutes. There were long, long tables set up with plates and plates full of finger foods and treats.

Brin moved through this confused disarray of brightly-colored costumes and Lopez family members, feeling very out of place. They spared her fleeting glances, but paid no more attention to the young Korean girl as she wandered aimlessly with a glass of punch in her tiny hand. Mama and Papa Lopez had long been swept up into conversations with old friends and relatives, while Alex, Luis, and Hernando were busy making friends with the girls of the party – at least, the girls they weren't related to.

After only about thirty minutes, Brin couldn't stand it anymore. She wandered into the forest that was on Francis Lopez's land and found a brook with a small bridge over it. Her dark eyes darted about to make sure no one was around, then, graceful as a cat, she leapt onto the bridge rail, caught a low branch with her right hand, and swung herself onto a higher one. Now at least twenty feet in the air, it was almost like being in the High Place again.

She never figured out how much time she spent up in that tree, and in later years she would spend even more time there, but all she knew was that it felt good to be alone again, as an X5 likes to be sometimes. The wind trickled through the leaves and cooled her hot, red cheeks and her skinny arms. Her short hair was brushed into her deep brown eyes, wet sweat of the heat of the night, and the great trees groaned and swayed every now and then, sounding like ancient cellos in the night air. Underneath her hands, the bark of the great tree in which she sat was cool and rough against her smooth skin.

The young X5 was finally brought back to reality when the sound of someone calling her name was heard. She peeked over the edge of the wide branch and spotted Alex moving through the underbrush, hands cupped to his mouth as he called her name, "Brin! Brin, where are you?!"

Carefully, quietly, the girl crept down the side of the tree on which Alex couldn't see. She then moved through the growth and cut him off. "Alex?" she said innocently as she stepped out from behind a tree in front of him.

Startled, the boy nearly fell back. "Brin! There you are! The fireworks are about to start! Come on, then!"

Brin nodded and followed him back to the party. Everyone was sitting on blankets that had been spread out upon the ground, silent. The two children took a seat towards the front. No sooner had they settled themselves when two bright explosions burst into the night air, startling Brin and evoking "oohs" and "aaahs" from the other onlookers. The embers had just dissipated when yet another explosion happened, bigger and more colorful than the two before.

The fireworks show lasted at least forty-five minutes, an extraordinary display unlike anything the young X5 had seen before. At the beginning, she found herself stricken with fear that the embers will fall down and set something on fire, but no matter how close they seemed to the ground, nothing caught fire. So as the show progressed she grew more and more confident, and by the end she was clapping and cheering along with everyone else.

Alex was sitting pretty close to her due to their lack of space on the blanket, and more than once they had bumped hands or shoulders or hips in their joy. This was quickly shrugged off with an embarrassed laugh and red cheeks, but neither of them complained. So, as the grand finale lit up the sky bright as day, Brin finally felt some peace with the turbulent world. She felt like, finally, she had a place outside Manticore where she belonged… and she wouldn't have it any other way.

TBC…


End file.
